Microsoft has shared details about its upcoming data center campus in Cherry Valley, Illinois.
Reports that the cloud giant was looking to build a campus in Cherry Valley, which lies around 82 miles west of Chicago, first emerged in August 2024.
Details of the scheme were sparse at the time, but Microsoft has now published a project overview of the campus.
It is set to cover six parcels of land spanning 350 acres, and will host four-six data centers, creating 200-300 jobs at full build-out.
Based on renderings shared by Microsoft, the site is bordered by E. State Street, Cutt Sark Road, and Welty Drive.
The IT capacity of the campus has not been disclosed.
Groundworks are set to begin in mid-2026, with the overall project timeline predicted to reach eight-10 years. Microsoft says the project is currently in the "entitlements" phase.
Additional measures to protect the neighborhood surrounding the campus include 10-foot landscaped berms, and "additional noise mitigations."
Microsoft is also developing a campus in Plano, Illinois, and other data centers in the Chicago area.
In 2023 Microsoft acquired 30 acres of land in the Hoffman Estates area of Chicago for $41.5 million. This is adjacent to a 53-acre site on Lakewood Blvd where Microsoft is currently developing two data centers. The first 250,000 sq ft (23,200 sqm) building is under construction. The company gained permission for the two buildings in May 2021; the second will span 150,000 sq ft (14,000 sqm).
